Similarity
by Orodruin
Summary: Things become interesting in Iruka's class when one girl notices an uncanny similarity between the man pictured in her book and the loud, annoying blond seated behind her. Preseries.


Disclaimer: I own my cat, my keyboard, and my hard drive, but I don't own Naruto.

When I first saw the Yondaime Hokage, I was positive he was related to Naruto. They just looked too alike for it to be simple coincidence. I find it highly unlikely that at least some of the people in Naruto-verse didn't at least notice this similarity, as well. So, here's one idea that could have happened. (A short plot-bunny that will not affect me updating APM... just in case you're concerned.)

Takes place pre-canon, probably about 6 mo. to a year before the manga/anime. Thus, it is before Iruka realizes the similarities between Naruto and himself, and before he becomes friends with the little hyperactive blonde. There is slight, _slight_ spoilers for Manga chapter 367. Now, on to the story.

Similarity

_R. Winters_

"Okay, everyone, today we'll be studying the Yondaime Hokage," Iruka began, standing tall in front of his class of thirteen attentive students—the other nine weren't nearly so attentive, much to his dismay. "We'll start out by seeing what you guys know. Who can tell me the crowning achievement of Yondaime-sama?"

Hands went up all around the room—Iruka was delighted, in fact, to find that twenty-one of the twenty-two students in his class had their hands raised. He frowned, however, when he noticed the single boy sitting in the back row, hands lazily strewn on his desk.

"Naruto, don't you know what Yondaime-sama did?" He asked, trying not to let too much irritation into his voice—of everyone, it was _that_ boy who needed to know the most.

Orange-clad shoulders huffed in annoyance, "Of course I know about it," he grumbled, "Every year on my birthday it's all anyone ever talks about! So the Yondaime defeated a demon fox, what's the big deal?"

Iruka felt a tick of annoyance threaten to burst in his forehead. For that boy to speak so disrespectfully of the Yondaime! He was about to explode, but a knock on the classroom door interrupted him.

Giving the blonde one last dirty look, Iruka schooled his expression and turned to the door, still annoyed, "Come in!"

The door slid open and the shinobi smirked lazily when he noticed the teacher's irritation, "Hey, Iruka-sensei," even his voice was smug, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but we need a word with you."

Iruka's irritation was replaced with bemusement, "No, it's fine, Raido-san," he assured the older man, "I'll be out in a minute."

The brunette gave a flippant salute and shut the door, leaving the teacher to follow at his leisure. Iruka turned back to his class.

"Everyone, I have to step out of the room for a few minutes," he explained, "Turn to page 219 in your texts and start reading the section on the Yondaime Hokage." He narrowed his eyes slightly as they landed on his resident trouble maker, "And if anyone even _thinks_ of leaving, I'll have them tied to the ceiling reciting the entire passage by memory on Saturday."

There were a few groans and sighs, but Iruka was satisfied that he'd threatened them enough to behave, and so he made his way out the back of the room.

Naruto huffed, crossing his arms in irritation, "It's not like I was gonna do anything," he grumbled defensively to anyone who would listen—there weren't many; the boy next to him glanced at him, and a few others snickered, but otherwise his comment went ignored.

It was with great reluctance that books were opened and pages were flipped through. Naruto didn't bother, still feeling irritated with the way his new teacher had singled him out like that. He wasn't the only one who didn't care for extra book work—around the classroom there remained pockets of students who preferred chatting over reading.

Minutes ticked by and Naruto was bored—bored, bored, bored, _bored_!—by the time he finally opened his book five minutes later. It wasn't to read it, of course, but he liked to scribble on the pictures sometimes. It was something to do.

He was adding a handful of horns to the top of a smug Uchiha—and casting a dark look at Sasuke, across the room, as he did so—when he noticed the brown-haired girl in front of him staring back at him. She turned away then and leaned over to whisper something to the girl sitting next to her. They both looked at their books, then back at Naruto. And now there were _two_ of them staring.

"Hey, Naruto," the first girl spoke up, turning around completely in her chair to address him.

Naruto frowned slightly, "What is it?" He asked guardedly.

"What's your clan name?" The girl asked.

Naruto blinked, then scowled—they couldn't even be bothered to remember that?! He stood up abruptly, hands slamming on his desk, "It's Uzumaki Naruto!" He shouted, "You should remember the name of your future Hokage!"

The girl frowned slightly, "Uzumaki, huh?" She asked, turning back around to look at her book again.

Naruto frowned deeper—what was _that_ supposed to mean? He asked as much, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?!"

She turned towards him again, this time holding her book out and pointing to the picture in the upper portion of page 220, "I was just thinking that you look a lot like Yondaime-sama," the girl supplied, "I thought maybe you were related, but if your name is Uzumaki..."

"Huh?" Naruto squinted and peered at the page, "Lemme see!" He demanded, seizing the book to pull it closer for a better look.

He saw the Yondaime Hokage every day—a massive head of stone staring down over the village. There were photographs of the village's four great leaders in the hall, but no one really paid them much attention. It was the first time he'd really looked at the man. What he saw surprised him.

The man's blonde spikes were much longer than his own, weighted down into some semblance of order. His mouth was pressed into a serious frown, but there were lines around it, suggesting he smiled a lot. Even his cool blue eyes held a warm light that the photograph had managed to capture.

They shared the same arched eyebrows, and a lightly pointed chin—his was more pronounced, though, while Naruto's was still slightly rounded with baby fat that he hadn't yet shed.

The girl tugged her book away, "It doesn't really matter," she pointed out, "Since you don't have the same clan name."

"But it is weird how much you look alike," the girl sitting beside her commented, brushing long black hair behind her ear to get a better look at the blonde boy.

By now, others in the class were whispering and almost everyone had their books open, looking with surprise at the similarities between the respected Fourth Hokage and their very own class clown and slacker.

Naruto scrambled to open his own book, searching through the pages until he came to the section about the Yondaime. He squinted down at the writing, leaning over his desk and following his finger until he came to what he was looking for.

"N-Na...mi...kaze...Mi...Minato," he read out laboriously. Then repeated, "Namikaze Minato." He turned the page almost frantically, looking down at the man's picture again. _The Yondaime Hokage._

This was the man who had defeated the Nine-Tailed Fox. He was a hero in the Third Secret War, and had more monuments to his name than any previous Hokage. If you asked any ten people in the village, nine of them would say that the Yondaime was the greatest of the four Hokage. The man was a hero and a legend, and _he looked just like him_!

"It must be a sign," Naruto muttered to himself, expression serious and brooding.

"... Naruto?" The girl in front of him asked, a little worried about the loud boy's unusually somber attitude.

The blonde looked up, blinked, then grinned fiercely, "I don't look just like him!" He exclaimed boisterously, "I look _way_ cooler than him! He's just the _Yondaime_, _I'm_ gonna be _Godaime_!"

Groans and laughter filled the classroom and Naruto sank back into his seat with a smug smile on his face. Because even if no one else liked him, he looked just like the Yondaime, and that _had_ to mean he was really something special.


End file.
